Before The Fall
by RoseSama35
Summary: Before The Fall is a 10-part series that I've undertaken to chronicle some of the good times that the family of Warehouse 13 had, centering around one unforgettable H.G Wells. The title refers to a time before the fallout, before the breakdown and Helena's attempt to destroy the world. These are just reflective of a fun and simple time when the world seemed a little less dark.
1. Summer Wind

Before The Fall - Chapter One  
Summer Wind

(Start)

Sun filtered through the open blinds of the two long windows, brightening the entire room in a lambent summer light. Both windows were raised open to let in the occasional and much welcomed cool breeze, along with the songs of summer. Every blooming and blossoming tree rustled in the wind, its leaves making a rustic wind-chime. Cicadas filled the area with the sounds of their humming from their nests in the trees and grass, their insect murmurs rising and falling like a slow steady heartbeat. Small brown sparrows hopped from branch to branch, leaf to twig, chasing after ants and elusive worms, making a grassy sway as they moved. Every now and then they would stop the hunt to join in bird song, calling to each other from high and low.

Against the open windows was an old and worn chocolate couch, slowly warming in the direct sunlight. One young woman lay sprawled out across the sofa, lounging comfortably on her back. Her head, curtained by her curly brown locks, rested on one arm rest. Her legs, long, limber and exposed to just above her knees by her jean shorts, stretched out across the opposite arm rest. Her arms seemed equally as long as her legs. One dangled over the edge of the sofa as she rested, her fingertips brushing against the feathery pages of a book that lay open on the floor. The edges of the pages lifted and rustled whenever a breeze presented itself strong enough to move them. But the young woman's hand kept the page from turning. Instead the book made a light ruffling in meager relents, sounding like wings of a baby bird flapping for the first time.

The woman's other arm lay curled around the back of her companion who rested on the sofa with her, their bodies pressed genially against one another despite the warm summer air. Her fingers found themselves tangled in one of the straps of the other woman's baby-blue tank top. The other woman, a bit older and with a ravishing black mane, lay atop the brunette in an equally quiet slumber. Her face rested comfortably against the long-limbed woman's chest, silently nuzzling her breasts. Her arms were folded at her sides, with her hands loosely clutching the white T-shirt of the woman beneath her, halfway up her torso. Their legs mixed and mingled at the further end of the sofa, with bare legs rubbing against the raven-haired woman's jeaned legs.

Across from the resting women on the cushioned polyester sofa was a low wooden, mahogany coffee table. Try as the inn keeper might, she could never manage to keep it completely clean and free of the nick-knacks that the residents always seemed to leave on it. Right now it was decorated with a few miscellaneous wires and the bronze outter casing of a Farnsworth. No doubt they belonged to the resident wiz kid, Claudia Donovan. Underneath some of the wires were two comic books, the covers full of flashy colors and buff superheroes dressed shameless with their underwear on the outside. No-one had to guess that those belonged to the comic-obsessed and fun loving Pete Lattimer.

Somehow, a small serving platter found room on the corner of the table closest to the sleeping women. There was a half-empty clear pitcher of ice tea on it, next to two glasses with hardly any tea and a few cubes of slow melting ice. In front of the two glasses was a small plate filled with mostly crumbs, and the last bites of a light tan coffee cake pastry

Little did either of the women know, nor were they even slightly aware of the fact that they were being watched by the inn keeper. Standing in the open doorway of the living room and leaning against the wooden frame, Leena did not bother fighting the smile that she wore as she watched the two women, Myka Bering and H.G Wells, napping so peacefully together. Her smile grew even wider - were it possible - when H.G shifted ever so slightly on top of Myka, and in turn Myka squeezed H.G closer with the one arm that was wrapped about her. Leena saw it as a treat, being able to see the two of them relaxed and finally being able to do what they craved all the time: be together.

No, neither had admitted to the feelings they had for one another, the feelings that Leena watched swell and grow with each passing day. But it was simple, a quality they definitely needed considering the complexities of their daily lives. There weren't any complicated rules to their relationship, or constant needs from one or the other to prove their feelings and intentions. They just were. When they were together they shared a sort of hushed felicity from their companionship.

Leena thought, with a pure fondness, how perfect the two of them looked, set in the early noon summer light. She didn't have the heart to disturb them, even if it meant risking them being seen like this. But the day was warm and still, and nature was making such a hypnotizing music that it was even making Leena think about taking a nap. Everyone else was sleeping in, even Artie for a change. So she was sure that nobody else would discover them cuddled on the sofa.

"Sweet dreams," Leena whispered from her perch in the doorway before turning to head for the kitchen to make a light lunch. She decided to leave Myka and H.G to their peace, and to each other.

(End)


	2. A Meeting of Minds

Before The Fall - Chapter Two  
A Meeting of Minds

**Author's Note**: I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who read and really liked the first chapter. I really appreciated it, and I really hope I keep making chapters that keep your interest. I was hoping to have this chapter edited and uploaded by Thursday but alas, life got away from me. So I won't keep you any longer. It's time to enjoy A Meeting of Minds!

(Start)

The air was surprisingly less tense than anyone would have expected. Even still, there was a definite buzz running through the room. Helena sat at a table across from Artie, a chess board in between them, and both of them deep in concentration. It had only taken fifteen minutes for the whole of the Bed & Breakfast residents to gather around the two who usually considered themselves arch nemesis. They weren't shouting or arguing. Artie didn't have a Tesla to H.G's head, nor was H.G spitting overly intelligent insults in Artie's direction. They were consumed by the game of chess, which had quickly become a battle ground.

Claudia stood behind Artie, biting her lip to keep from making any suggestions. Every time she pointed, squealed, or even widened her eyes Artie would turn around and give her a gentle smack on the hand to remind her to keep her mouth shut. To Claudia's dismay, she merely stood behind Artie with her hands folded, hoping that would help to hold in her impulsive urges to shout for them to finally make a move.

Myka stood behind Helena's chair was much like Claudia, seeing opportunities and excitedly wanting to give H.G any advice. But any time Myka said "Ooh!" and begin to point, Helena would gently take her hand and hold on to it for a minute while she continued to think, or until she was certain Myka had calmed down. Sometimes she would hold her hand just because she knew it would make Myka blush.

Leena and Pete both stood side by side in front of the table, watching the battle go on from the sidelines. Pete wasn't much for chess himself, but he did know enough to know which pieces could beat the other. But Leena had to remind him more than a few times of the rules. Leena (always wanting to be the peace keeper) silently snuck away for a few minutes. When she returned, she had a tray of hot raspberry spice tea, and a fresh batch of Artie's favorite snicker doodle cookies. The treats were accepted graciously by all parties, Artie especially. All that was left was to see who would come out on top in this heated game.

The chess board sat on the table in the living room of the Bed & Breakfast for a week. One piece was moved out of place in a first move like a screaming invitation for anyone who couldn't resist a challenge. Artie wasn't sure who had set the game out, but after finally making a reply move, he soon discovered. And despite his feelings of distrust towards Helena, he just couldn't resist a good game of chess.

Helena was much more of an aggressive player than Artie had expected. As with everything else in life, Artie was a cautious chess player by nature. So when Helena came charging out, sword swinging, he was able to see around her simple tactics. Before long Artie sat proud, knowing that Helena had suffered more losses than she would have liked. But Artie let himself get a bit too confident, and in a few deft moves Helena had captured many of his larger players while she was only missing several foot soldiers.

Heated as he was about the loss, he forced himself to keep a calm head. It was his own fault for letting his guard down. But he was ready to make a comeback and dispatch Helena's queen and king as quickly as possible. This time he was going to be smart. The game stretched on with Claudia and Myka as cheerleaders forced into silence. They started making jibs and faces at each other since they weren't allowed to make any suggestions in the game. All the while, Artie and Helena grew closer and closer to their end-game.

"So who do you think is gonna win?" Pete whispered to Leena.

"I'm not sure," Leena answered honestly. "I'm kind of hoping that it will be a draw so there won't be any sore losers."

"Yeah, I hear ya on that," Pete agreed with a nod.

Helena proved exceptionally well at guarding her king. Artie couldn't find a single non-trapped opening that he could use to get in close for the check-mate. But what Helena had in defense she lacked in a proper offense to try and win the game. Artie used wolf tactics, diving in for a strike before swiftly retreating. If Helena retaliated in full force she was certain to overtake Artie without much trouble, but her king would be left without a proper defense and all it would take would be one piece to avoid destruction long enough to take the king. The battle had rapidly hit a stand-still. Pete had nodded off on the sofa and Leena left to get dinner started. If Claudia and Myka weren't such big chess fans they'd have long since left themselves. But neither wanted to be the first to abandon the team they were rooting for and suffer from the bragging that the other would have justly earned.

Helena shifted her king to the east side of the board (her right), guarded by a pawn, the queen, a rook and a knight. Artie had tried before to take Helena's king while she was in transition with it, thinking that it was when she would be most vulnerable. Although he was correct, he fell into a trap he did not foresee, and lost his queen to hers. His attack was - however - successful in eliminating all but one of Helena's remaining attacking forces, and a single pawn wasn't much in the way of a powerful tool for victory.

Helena knew that she could no longer play coy. Artie was moving his forces around, trying to figure the best way to break through her defenses without risking his king. In a few deft moves, Helena positioned herself in an impressive offensive with the queen charging from behind a defensive line. From here on the battle went very quickly. Artie didn't expect her to use a strategy that would leave her king completely exposed from the back, but he was prepared to take advantage of it. In order to do that, however, he had to get around her attacking forces.

"Looks like you're going down, Claudia," Myka taunted with a smug grin.

"Hey, we're just luring you into a trap. We've got you right where we want you," Claudia returned. She leaned down and whispered to Artie, "We do have a plan, right?"

"That's enough! Just … just keep quiet, Claudia. Please!" Artie grumbled. Myka stuck her tongue out at Claudia, and Claudia did the same.

"Alright, enough taunting the mascot," Helena said as she took Myka's hand again gently, interlocking their fingers.

Helena's attack was careful and calculated. It took everything Artie had to just avoid losing his pieces. He saw what she was doing. She was keeping him distracted so that he wouldn't have a chance to look for an opening to attack. Sooner or later he would slip up, and she would have his king. But in an instant, there was a sudden change in the battle. Helena brought her king into a small retreat with light defense, while sending her knight and rook in for the attack. Artie was sure that she was up to something because it was all too easy to avoid her troops, even with his own meager forces. At the same time he wasn't going to waste the opportunity to finish the game and crush her once and for all.

In three moves Artie disposed of Helena's king, and had the check-mate. Claudia threw her arms up and did a victory lap around the living room, which woke up Pete with a start.

"What? What happened? Who one?" he grumbled in a groggy tone.

"Team Artie! Oh yeah! Up top!" Claudia chanted as she gave Artie a high five. Helena leaned back in her chair and observed the battleground with a small smile on her face.

"That was certainly a most challenging game Artie," Helena said. "Well played." She extended her hand and Myka bit her lip, not sure how Artie would reply. But to both Claudia and Myka's relief, Artie shook Helena's hand with his usual gruff smile.

"Maybe we could play again, and I could show you a few things," Artie said.

"I'd like that very much," Helena replied. Myka and Claudia couldn't hold back a smile, happy to see that Artie and H.G were actually getting along. This was definitely a step in a good direction.

"Dinner's ready!" Leena called from the kitchen.

"Oh! Dinner!" Hearing the dinner bell, Pete rubbed his face and climbed off the sofa quickly. Artie made a quick shuffle out of the room behind Pete to go wash his hands and get ready for dinner. Claudia was quick behind him, her stomach grumbling from a long afternoon of chess and no lunch. But before she was completely out of the room she stopped and turned around to face Myka and Helena, still standing the living room.

"You know, H.G, those were some pretty nice moves," Claudia said, making sure not to speak too loudly and have Artie overhear. "It was cool of you to let Artie win like that."

"I'm certain I don't know what you mean, Claudia," Helena replied with a sly smile. "Artie won fair and square, as they say."

"Sure," Claudia said with a big smile before turning to leave Myka and H.G alone.

"That was quite the heated battle, wasn't it?" H.G asked as she looked behind her at Myka. Her younger companion was watching her with a curious smile and an even more curious eyebrow arched. "What?" Helena asked with a chuckle.

"Did you let Artie win?" Myka asked. Stepping close, H.G raised her arms around Myka's shoulders and smoothed out the collar of her button-down white blouse. She brought her lips so close to Myka's so that there was barely a breath between them.

"I did nothing of the sort," she answered in a low whisper. After stealing a small peck on the lips, Helena took a step back and let one hand slide down into Myka's. "Now let's get some food before those boys wolf it all down." Smiling and grinning, the two women went hand in hand to the kitchen to join everyone else for dinner time.

(End)


	3. Just a Kiss

Before The Fall - Chapter Three  
Just a Kiss

**Author's Note: **Well here we are at chapter 3 of "Before The Fall" and I couldn't be happier. This is one of my favorite chapters, because this installment is not only fun (as all of them are) but it is extremely dialogue driven. Dialogue is one of the things that I always have trouble with, so this was quite a challenge. As always, I'm extremely grateful to everyone who took the time to read the stories so far, and even reviewed! When it comes to writing I've always got room to learn, so please don't hold back! But I'll stop pandering and let you get on with the chapter. I really hope you enjoy! ^_^**  
**

(Start)

"Her obvious lack of socialization aside, what does that phrase even mean?"

"Her lack of socialization? If anyone fits into that category, it'd definitely be you."

"We are well past that part of the argument so let's leave it in the past, shall we?"

"Oh, _**you're **_one to talk about the past!" Pete chimed with a chuckle, unable to resist making a joke about his fellow agent's 100-plus year age. He received a particularly annoyed eye-role.

"You should've seen that one coming," Myka commented from her perch beside H.G on the arm of the sofa.

"I suppose I should have," H.G replied, shaking her head.

"Just like you should have seen that girl's reaction coming!" Claudia exclaimed as she threw her arms in H.G's direction, certain she had made her point loud and clear.

"How on Earth could anyone expect such a volatile reaction to something so simple?" H.G asked, mocking Claudia's gestures and throwing her arms in young red-head's direction. The bracelets on both of their arms were filling the front office of the Warehouse with jingles and chimes.

"Because H.G, that's totally not something simple. In fact, it's pretty huge!" Claudia continued.

"Is thanking someone so unordinary in this time that people now respond with anger at the simple gesture?" Helena asked, disdain for the thought of such a horrible world rising in her voice and expression.

"Oh come on now. We all know you did more than just thank the store lady," Pete said with a devious eyebrow quirked up in Helena's direction. This time Pete received a bit more of an aggressive look from H.G.

"Oh really?" Myka asked, a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth as she looked down at H.G, who had slid back into the sofa.

"It's nothing. It really was nothing. Claudia and I went into the store to get some things. Pete smelled donuts and came running in behind. I couldn't find those damn Twizzler's you're so fond of so I asked the woman at the front for some assistance," Helena explained. Myka couldn't resist a smile at the mention of her favorite candy, and how H.G. always made sure to get her a pack whenever she was out. "She's directed me to them. I thanked her and gave her a kiss."

"A kiss?" Myka asked, more surprise in her own voice than she would have liked.

"Right on the lips!" Pete added with emphasis.

"On the lips!" Claudia repeated.

"And then she says that mysterious phrase which has yet to be explained to me," Helena finished, feeling quite annoyed. "Oh I'm sorry, I'm not like that," she said as she put her right hand to her chest and made a face to imitate the woman at the convenience store.

"It means that she's not interested in women, just men," Myka informed her, failing to control the light laughter that came bubbling from her as she thought of how the hilarious situation must have looked.

"Did she think I was going to rip her clothes off and have my way with her in the middle of the floor just because I kissed her?" H.G asked.

"Yes! Which is why you can't go around kissing everybody!" Claudia answered, certain that now the argument would be closed and H.G would see the error of her ways.

"That is absurd, Claudia. For one, she wasn't even that attractive. And besides, I kiss you every day," H.G retorted.

"Yeah, but it's on the cheek, and I'm used to it," Claudia explained away quickly, pointing at her cheek for emphasis. "I mean, I expect my good morning kiss every day." Myka had to bite her lip to keep from commenting when she heard this. Myka always thought Helena gave Claudia a good morning kiss on the lips, just like she did for her. Myka made a mental note to talk to H.G about this later.

"What do you think, Myka?" Helena asked, turning to her friend.

"Oh no," Myka protested as she raised her hands. "I wasn't there, so I'm not getting in this."

"This is ridiculous. Am I to carry around a sign proclaiming 'Here comes my personal thank-you' every time I want to make a simple gesture?" H.G asked, though to no-one in the room in particular.

"Or you could just stop kissing people," Claudia suggested as she went to the computer desk and plopped down in the metal roller seat. Sitting next to her laptop was an ice-cold Coke just waiting to be sipped on.

"You ever notice how she only does that with women?" Pete asked with a questioning look in Helena's direction, hoping for an explanation. What he received were more eye-roles. "Or why I can't open my mouth without you getting annoyed today?"

"The more I observe of this world, the more I find that people have only become more physically suppressed than before," Helena said as she rose to her feet. "There was a time when a woman would never shy from the affectionate embrace of her fellow woman. But now it seems as though if anyone passes strict limits and boundaries of a completely non-physical friendship with someone of the same sex, then they've abruptly stumbled into the land of taboo."

"H.G, I love your speeches, I really do. You know I do. But you're just gonna have to lose this one," Claudia said as she put her feet up on the desk and hid her smug smile of victory behind a long swig of the Coke bottle.

"It really isn't so bad," Myka reassured her fellow agent. "The problem is, the further away you get from civilization, the less open-minded people you'll find."

"F.Y.I, we all came from civilization," Pete chimed. "That's why we're so cool." For once, he didn't receive a glare or even an annoyed eye roll. Helena stood in front of Myka who remained perched on the arm of the sofa.

"Really Myka, what's your opinion? For one, I cannot lose to Claudia," Helena began, putting a hand on Myka's shoulder.

"Already won!" Claudia quickly interjected.

"And two, I'm certain that the young lady at the store was simply over reacting," Helena finished.

"Well, okay," Myka relented with a sigh and a small smile. "I mean, how big of a kiss was it?"

"Full-on smooch!" Claudia chimed in, her tone thick with victory. Pete added sucking kissing sounds to the red-head's statement, and pretended to be kissing an invisible person in front of him. Helena and Myka both made a face at him.

"That," Helena replied with a long finger pointed in Pete's direction, "is a complete exaggeration. It was hardly a peck."

"On the lips of a stranger!" Claudia piped. Pete continued with his kissing antics.

"I mean, if it was just a peck then I don't see what the big deal was," Myka concluded.

"So wasn't a peck, Mykes," Pete said. "You needed to have seen it."

"Here, I can show you," Helena declared. Before anyone in the room had a chance to reply, Helena took Myka's face gently in both her hands and quickly (but not too forcefully) pressed her lips to Myka's. The brunette agent drew in breath sharply through her nose as the room went silent. Myka instantly straightened her back as Helena drew the kiss out. Helena broke contact for half a second to draw in a breath and was met by Myka's lips. The younger agent's hands hung in the space between their bodies, unsure of what to do with themselves as Helena proceeded to kiss Myka completely breathless.

Claudia let her feet fall from the desk and Pete was pointing, but they both wore the same look. Wide eyed, mouth hung open, shocked into silence.

Myka finally let her hands come to rest on Helena's thin torso. Helena actually took a step closer to close the space between them, kissing Myka more deeply as she did. Letting her tongue skillfully slide across Myka's top lip issued a low moan from Myka. And when she let Helena's tongue ease into her mouth to caress her own tongue, Myka fisted the material of Helena's shirt as she felt her arousal beginning to dampen her underwear. Satisfied that Myka was properly flustered, Helena gave her friend one last teasing, lingering kiss before putting a few inches between their lips.

"There," Helena stated with finality. Myka's eyes fluttered open as she drew in a deep breath, trying to get a hold of herself. Helena let one hand fall from Myka's cheek to her shoulder, but left the other in its place so her thumb could run across Myka's lower lip, making keeping her composure that much harder for Myka; she already missed the taste of the English woman's kiss.

"Wh...what was the question?" Myka stammered.

"Kiss her again," Pete finally managed to say with a slowly growing smirk.

"Now that, Pete, was an exaggerated kiss," Helena answered as she gave Myka a pat on the cheek and stepped away. Claudia couldn't find her words at all. She was in just as much shock as Myka was. Helena strutted to her desk and sat down with a devilish grin that stayed with her for the rest of the day.

(End)


	4. A Different Point of View

Before The Fall - Chapter Four  
A Different Point of View

**Author's Note**: Its chapter 4 of Before The Fall and we're nearly at the halfway point. I really can't believe how well recieved the previous chapters have been. Honestly, I'm blown away. I'm feeling not only really proud of my work, but even more gratefully that people are liking it so much! I'll do my best to keep up to your standards! ^_^

(Start)

Work has been pretty darn hectic these past two weeks. There's been a crazy artifact trying to "ruin the world's day" at least every day now. Heck, a few times twice a day. We've all been running around the country like chickens with our heads chopped off trying to bag all of them. Artie even let H.G officially partner with me so we could handle them all. Up until a few weeks ago, he tried to keep her in the office, where he could keep an eye on her, as much as possible.

With all of us in the field, that left poor Leena to all the inventory, and I mean ALL of it. That is, whenever she wasn't helping Artie with research. The old guy is getting up there in the ages and can't move like he used to when he had a pet dinosaur. Long story short, nothing got done besides artifact grabbing and sleeping...if we had time for it in between artifact grabbing.

Everyone was already running on empty. But after we got a solid 12 hours with no artifact alerts, I figured the worst was over. We took the rest of the day to try and remember what it felt like to rest. Me and Pete hit the fridge first. I only nibbled on some leftover chicken and soup before I went trudging up the stairs. Pete decided to devour the entire box of cereal since he was too lazy to turn on the oven or wait for the microwave. My room was across from Myka's, at the end of the hall.

Myka's door was wide open, so I guessed she had already crashed. But something caught me as a little strange and when I took a closer look, I realized that it definitely **_wasn't_ **Myka lying in Myka's bed. It was H.G! She was on top of the sheets, hardly dressed, and totally knocked out. If Pete were here he'd have a nose-bleed.

I thought maybe she just forgot which room was hers. After all, H.G. is like, over 120 years old. That's nearly as old as Artie, and the old tend to forget things. I thought I should probably go in there and let her know she made a goof. I was already starting to chuckle at the look of embarrassment she'd have when I told her. Like a guy accidentally walking into the girl's bathroom. I was about to walk into the room when I paused with my foot hanging in the air.

"Don't tell me you fell asleep already. That was a 2-minute shower!" It was Myka! She was coming from the bathroom. She came striding in front of the door and put a hand on the door knob with her back to me. She had a green towel around her shoulders and was only wearing some white undies and a T-shirt. She must have still been pretty wet when she put it on 'cause it was sticking to her, and you could see _**right**_ through it! Talk about an eye full!

"No, I'm awake," was H.G's groggy reply as she stretched out on Myka's bed. When I said she was hardly dressed, I mean _**hardly**_! She was wearing a pair of black curvy panties and a strapless bra. Her body looked insanely perfect, and if I wasn't so worried about being caught starring, I might have been jealous. "I was waiting for you," H.G added.

My eyes grew wide and my ears got hot. Suddenly I felt like I was witnessing something I really wasn't supposed to, or something was about to happen that I would never be able to un-see! I had to retreat, and fast! But the fear of being caught froze me in place.

"That's sweet of you," Myka said, no doubt giving H.G that dorky I'm-way-too-happy smile she gives H.G. She started to swing the door shut and I thought I was going to make it out of this alive. But at the very last second Myka turned around and saw me gawking at her and H.G. before the door closed all the way.

"Oh hey, Claud. What's up?" Myka asked. I'd been caught!

"Nothing! Nothing!" I replied quickly. Suddenly I found the will to move. I spun around, darted into my room, and my slammed my door all in one heartbeat.

_They're just having a sleep over. They're just having a sleep over. They're just having a sleep over._ I kept telling myself that over and over again. They are just having a sleep over. Women do that, right? Right? ... ... Damn, I really had no clue. But surely that was a perfectly reasonable explanation. There wasn't anything else going on there. And even if there was, it's not like I'd freak out about. I'm a totally cool person, I don't hate. But if something was going on between Myka and H.G., I'm sure they'd want their privacy.

I couldn't help but stop at the thought of Myka and H.G. _actually_ having some sort of lover's romance going on. No way! Not Myka! Sure she was a smiling dweeb around H.G., and sure H.G. was almost a bigger flirt than Pete, but they wouldn't... ... would they? Damn it, I had no clue!

"Well Donovan, when in doubt, just pretend like you didn't see anything," I said to myself out loud. Yeah, that sounded like a good way to handle this. Besides, I was way too tired to try and solve this mystery. Without even undressing, I dived onto my bed, ready to fall asleep.

... ... ...

Maybe, I'll call Joshua and get a second opinion anyways!

(End)


	5. Who Is HG Wells?

Before The Fall - Chapter Five  
Who Is H.G Wells?

(Start)

"Thanks Leena," Kelly said with a smile as she accepted the small glass of water from the hostess of the cozy Bed & Breakfast.

"You're welcome," Leena replied. The house was pretty quiet on the cool Saturday afternoon, with the Warehouse team enjoying their rare day off from hunting down artifacts. Today, Pete promised Kelly every second of his free time. For such unlikely beginnings, Pete and Kelly were a remarkably goofy and well-matched couple. Even though they still argue on plenty of subjects (if only because Pete has trouble understanding women) they complemented each other very well. "I'll go knock on Pete's door and let him know you're here," Leena finished with a smile as she turned to leave the living room.

Kelly sat down on the sofa and made herself comfortable. Odd as it was, she always felt very comfortable at Leena's B&B. She could have never imagined such a ...quirky group of people actually being IRS agents. Artie had them working ridiculous hours, and traveling all around the country. A lot of times the job seemed to really weigh heavily on them too. Of course, it would only be expected considering that _nobody_ likes a tax collector. Even still, the whole gang was never short on smiles, and Kelly always had a great time with them. She couldn't help smiling as she remembered back to last week when out the blue, Claudia suggested they head out for the movies. It turned into a crazy all-night affair full of movie-hopping, midnight dinner specials, and probably the worst bowling the world had ever seen. It was one the best nights Kelly could remember having in a long time. It also gave Kelly a chance to try to get better acquainted with the newest member of the IRS team, who simply went by H.G.

Aside from being gorgeous and full of more charm than Prince Charming himself, Kelly really didn't know anything about her. And nobody bothered to offer any insight, either. Kelly found that particularly strange since everyone in the B&B are usually very open with her. But their new co-worker was a complete enigma.

Kelly took a sip of her water just as the person in question came sauntering through the living room, holding a book the size on encyclopedia in one arm. The book itself had several sheets of loose paper on top of it, and two pencils stuck in the middle. A third pencil was sitting behind her left ear, keeping back the long black locks of hair from her eyes. She was dressed neatly in a black A-line skirt that had black and white stripes going around the very bottom edges that stopped just at her knees. There were two medium white bows on either side of the hip that matched the same black-stripped pattern as the bottom edge of the skirt. She topped off the outfit with a thin white long-sleeved sweater.

H.G saw Kelly perched on the sofa immediately and went to greet her.

"Oh, hi H.G!" she said with a smile. Helena gave Kelly a small hug with her free arm and a peck on the cheek.

"It is always a pleasure to see you, Kelly," Helena replied. "Still keeping Pete civilized?"

"Someone has to," Kelly answered with a small laugh. Charming, beautiful, and mysterious as usual. Kelly was ready to get a few answers. "Hey H.G, I know this is going to sound a little silly, but I never got your full name."

"It's Helena," she answered easily, never losing her smile.

"Wow, that's a beautiful name," Kelly said. "It really suits you. What's your last name?" H.G glanced down at the papers she was carrying before returning her gaze to Kelly.

"I do believe you're waiting on Pete, right? I'll give him a shout for you," Helena answered without a blink. Then she turned to leave the living room, and moved easily and quickly up the stairs calling, "Pete! You've kept Kelly waiting long enough!" In a blink she was gone, and Kelly was left alone. That certainly wasn't exactly how she expected the conversation to go, but it more than confirmed her suspensions that H.G was hiding something. How hard was it to just tell someone their last name?

Kelly didn't have long to ponder over it before she saw Myka coming down the stairs.

"Hey Kelly! I heard you were here so I came to say hi," she said as she entered the living room.

"Good to see you, Myka," Kelly replied as the two hugged. "You guys have been working so much lately that I hardly get to see you."

"Yeah, Artie is a pretty big workaholic," Myka explained. "But we made him promise to give us the weekend off, with no exceptions."

"I'm glad you finally got a break too," Kelly said. "Maybe we could all hang out tomorrow and go bowling without Pete and Claudia sliding down the aisles." They both laughed, remembering how Pete chased after Claudia as she tried to knock down the pins herself. "Hey, could I ask you a question."

"Shoot," Myka replied.

"How long has H.G been working here?"

"Oh, you know...a while."

"How long is while?"

"You know...a while," Myka said again, now shifting from foot to foot.

"And what is it that she does in the Warehouse?"

"Hey, so let me go check on Pete for you," Myka said, all too eager to quickly leave the living room. Kelly followed her, determined to get some answers. But by the time she was in the hall, Myka was already trotting up the stairs, shouting, "Pete! Kelly is here!"

_"What is going on here?" _Kelly wondered, getting more frustrated by the moment. It was clear that they were hiding something from her. But why? What could be so bad that Myka would close up so quickly? Kelly considered herself in luck when she saw Claudia coming down the hall from the kitchen. She knew she could get some answers out of her. All you had to do was get Claudia nervous and she'd start spilling her guts before she could stop herself. It worked whenever she wanted to know if Pete was planning a surprise for her, and she was sure it'd work now.

"Claudia!" she called, grabbing the teenager's attention from her laptop.

"Jeez Kelly!" Claudia exclaimed, after nearly dropping her laptop. "Don't sneak up on me like that. I nearly had a heart attack!"

"Sorry Claudia, but I've got to ask you something," Kelly began quickly.

"Hey, what's up? Something got you stressed?" Claudia asked as she closed her laptop, seeing that Kelly was clearly upset about something.

"Yeah, you could say that. Look Claudia, I need you to be perfectly honest with me," Kelly said as she put her hands on Claudia's shoulders. The young red-head's eyes grew wide. This was way serious.

"Yeah, of course. No problem. I'm always honest," Claudia said quickly, trying to adjust to the seriousness of the situation.

"Okay..." Kelly began. Keeping her hands on Claudia's shoulders, she took a deep breath. "How long has H.G - or Helena, if that's her real name - been here in Univille. What is it exactly that she does in the Warehouse with you guys? And why has everyone been so damn secretive with me about this?"

Claudia paused as the questions Kelly asked sunk in. This wasn't exactly what Claudia was expecting to be asked, but Kelly was hoping that the scare tactics would work and get her some much desired answers.

"What's with all the personal questions, Kelly?" Claudia retorted. That definitely wasn't the reaction she was expecting. Had her plan backfired?

"I'm just trying to figure out what the big deal is about this woman," Kelly replied, trying to stay firm. "She's just an IRS agent like the rest of you, so what's with all the mystery? And I need you to tell me, Claudia." Surely her urgent tone, and the serious all-business look in her eyes would get the answers she needed out of the teen. As awesome as she was, Kelly knew that Claudia could be a bit of a flake sometimes. She could get her to crack under pressure.

"What's with all the questions, Kelly? What's H.G ever done to you?" Claudia asked, squinting her eyes. Uh-oh...the plan failed. "Trying to dig into her past...are you a mole?" Claudia further questioned as she stepped closer. "'Cause nobody likes a mole Kelly."

Kelly couldn't help the wide-eyed and surprised look she knew she was wearing. She couldn't have expected Claudia to react so strongly to her trying to learn more about H.G. Had she struck a nerve she shouldn't have?

"I...um..." she couldn't quite find her words. She wanted answers, but she didn't want to upset anybody just because of her curiosity.

"Tell you what, I'll go find Pete for you," Claudia said before Kelly could say anything else. With another stern, squinty-eyed look, Claudia made an about face, and marched up the stairs with her laptop tucked under her arms. "Pete! Bring your ass!" Claudia disappeared from Kelly's sight as she heard Pete replying.

"Okay, okay, okay! Jeez, I'm coming!"

A moment later Pete appeared around the corner of the stairs.

"I am so sorry for keeping you waiting. But hey, you look great!" he said as he finished coming down the stairs and gave her a kiss. She half-heartedly returned his kiss, and immediately Pete knew that something was bothering Kelly. "Hey, what's wrong? Did I keep you waiting too long?" he asked, worried that he was about to be in some serious trouble.

"Pete, I need you to tell me something," Kelly said. "And I need you to be completely honest with me." The look in Kelly's eyes was a strange mix of anger and worry. Pete took a deep breath, not sure what he was in for. But he put on a tough face.

"Yeah Kelly, anything. What is it? What's going on?" he asked.

"What's up with H.G?" she asked quickly. "Every time I try ask anyone a simple question about her, they all freak out and disappear. I just want to know what's going on!" Pete looked very much like a dear in the headlights. He didn't quite see this coming.

"Oh..." was all he could manage to say.

"Pete, please just give me a straight answer. Please!" Kelly pleaded. Pete took in a deep breath as he nodded, understanding that Kelly was tired of getting a run-around. And as her boyfriend, it was his job to give her the answers she wanted, if only to give her some peace of mind.

"Okay, okay," he said gently, putting an arm around Kelly and leading her towards the door. "Here's the thing, and you can't go repeating this, okay?"

"Um, okay?"

"I'm serious babe, this is some seriously serious stuff," Pete said, making sure he was looking Kelly in the eye so she would know how serious he was being.

"Okay Pete, I get it. This is serious," Kelly said, not being able to completely resist a small smile at her goofy boyfriend, even when he was trying to be earnest. "So what's going on?"

"Okay...the reason nobody is telling you about H.G is because they can't. They literally can't," Pete said with resolution.

"Why not?"

"Well...because..., I'm just gonna come out and say it. H.G is in the Witness Protection Program." The look on Kelly's face was pure, dumbfounded surprise. She wasn't prepared for this sort of answer at all.

"Wh-what?" she stammered. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Sshh!" Pete insisted in a harsh whisper as he put a finger up to her lips. "Don't go screaming about it, she's trying to keep a low cover!" Realizing how loud she had been, Kelly lowered her voice immediately, looking around as if there was someone to catch her.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's okay, but now you know why everyone's been so cloak and dagger. She got mixed up in some real bad stuff, but now she's here hiding out. So...you know, no more questions," Pete explained.

"I can't believe it! Oh my gosh, everyone must think I've been so rude. I need to apologize to them!"

"It's okay, you didn't know," Pete said as he opened the door, ready to end the discussion and focus on their date. He didn't like having to lie so much to Kelly, but it was the best idea he could come up with. Telling her that H.G. was actually THE H.G. Wells who had survived the ages by being bronzed would not only be ill-advised, but would make him sound like he'd lost his marbles.

"I'll let everyone know that I've filled you in," Pete continued as he ushered Kelly out the door. "They'll be cool about it."

"Thank-you so much Pete," Kelly said. "And I promise I won't go bugging anyone about this anymore. I'll practically forget about it!"

"You're the best, baby!" The two kissed just before Pete closed the door behind them.

With the two of them gone, Myka, Claudia and H.G finally peaked their heads around the corner of the top of the stairs.

"I gotta say, I wasn't expecting that one," Claudia said with a smirk.

"Yeah that was a good one, even for Pete," Myka added.

"What exactly is the Witness Protection Program?" H.G asked. All three of them had been perched on the stairs, ease dropping on Pete and Kelly's conversation.

"It's a program where the federal government relocates witnesses to crimes while a trial is pending to protect them from bad guys," Myka explained.

"Ah, so I'm on the lamb. Good job, Pete!" H.G exclaimed with a smirk.

(End)


	6. The Morning After

Before The Fall - Chapter Six  
The Morning After

**Author's Note**:I would like to apologize for the delay. I had every intention of having this chapter posted by Friday like I do every week, but I was feeling miserably sick the past few days and hardly left my bed to do anything. But I'm sure the worst has passed over me, and I went right to preparing this chapter! I won't waste much of your time and let you get right into it. But as a note to further enhance the reading, I think it would help if you went to YouTube and put this song (Love Me by Yiruma) on repeat. That's all I listed to while writing this chapter, and I think it would add an appropriate soundtrack. But it's just a suggestion!

So on to chapter 6 of Before The Fall - The Morning After! I really hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you thought! I'll love you forever! ^_^

(Start)

The sun came flowing into Myka Bering's bedroom with a flush of honey light. It started as a slow drizzle of morning creeping its way down the floor and across her bookshelf. But in an hour, it washed over Myka's bed, coloring her and her company in warm morning light. But it wasn't until she felt a slight tickle against her nose that she finally stirred from her deep slumber.

She eased her eyes open and was greeted with the sight of Helena G. Wells sleeping peacefully in front of her. Their noses were just barely brushing against one another as Helena made the tiniest shifts in her sleep.

Myka could no better hold in a smile than she could stop the sun from rising. She drew in a deep breath, covered her mouth and yawned as quietly as she could so she wouldn't wake H.G. But the two were so close together in bed that Myka couldn't help brushing the other occupant just a little. The older woman stirred and drew herself closer to Myka, pressing her body against Myka's own snuggly and burying her face into Myka's neck. Helena's naked body was so comfortably warm against Myka that she could feel the heat spread from her chest up to her ears and down to her knees. And the tickling of Helena's nipples against Myka's bare skin brought back small fuzzy memories of the night before, the night she was already calling the best night of her life.

Myka wrapped an arm around Helena's body, moving the blanket down a little beneath their shoulders as she did, and stretched out her back leisurely. Myka's back arched sharply (and involuntarily) as Helena's long fingers slid up Myka's torso, tracing from her hip up to the nape of her collar bone, then back down to Myka's chest.

"Please tell me it is not yet time to wake up," Helena asked softly against Myka's neck, sleep greatly thickening her tone.

"If you keep rubbing me like that, it will be," Myka threatened with a broad grin. Helena cracked open her eyes to look at Myka and couldn't resist a chuckle before resting her head against her bedmate again.

"Well we certainly wouldn't want that, would we?" Helena asked as she kissed Myka's neck gently. "You have completely tired me out, and I may yet never recover." With a smile she kissed Myka's neck again, smiling with satisfaction at how Myka still squirmed excitedly beneath her touch.

"I tired you out?" Myka asked with a raised eyebrow and an incredulous tone, though her smile could not be removed.

"You're a lot of hard work, I shall have you know," Helena replied with a devilish grin. Myka scooted down so the two would be facing each other directly, and she ran her fingers through Helena's long silken black locks.

"I'm the one who go worked last night," Myka said in a low (and what she hoped was seductive) tone before giving Helena a shy kiss. It was happily returned and Helena greedily took in the feel of Myka's plush lips against her own. Despite Myka's warning, she couldn't keep her hands from traveling about Myka's slim build, feeling every dip, committing ever curve to memory. Myka lost control of her body beneath the power of Helena's gentle teasing fingertips. Her back arched and her body lurched forward, pressing into Helena as she failed to muffle a small moan. Their legs intertwined. H.G took Myka's face into her hands and kissed her again and again, each contact deeper than the last and fueled with a lustful passion.

Before Myka completely lost her wits and surrendered to Helena, she placed a single finger between their lips. "Helena," she breathed.

"Yes, darling," Helena asked, slightly short of breath as she put just a hair's distance between their lips.

"I um...uh," Myka started, but couldn't quite remember what it was she wanted to say. She was completely captured by the beauty of the woman lying in bed with her. "When did I get so lucky?" Helena bit her lip as she thought for a moment, not failing to notice how startlingly adorable Myka was.

"Um, I believe it was late last night, perhaps around 9 or 10 o' clock," she answered with a grin. Myka laughed kissed Helena once more. The more she looked at her, the more she felt like she floating on a cloud. Myka was certain she'd soon be losing air and would have to rely on Helena to continue to breathe life into her. "All right, we really much go back to sleep," Helena finally said.

"We do?" Myka asked, her lips beginning to form a pout. Helena gave those pouting lips a short kiss.

"Yes, because last night was just our first night," Helena explained, giving Myka yet another kiss, this time between the other woman's eyes. She had never before met a woman so completely irresistible. Even before they had made love, she couldn't keep two feet away from the tall brunette. "There will be plenty more days and nights for us to spend together, because I am not going anywhere."

Myka rose up on an elbow to gaze down at the woman before her, an amazing and beautiful and impossible woman, out of her time and somehow in her bed. She took in every feature of her in the early morning light. She wanted to see everything and forget nothing. "Helena," she said softly, almost in a whisper.

"Hmm?"

Myka took a moment to look into the dark eyes that watched her. It was almost scary how just the sight of Helena or the sound of her voice sent Myka's heart fluttering away like a butterfly. It scared Myka how from the moment they'd locked eyes in London there was something unsettling about the 19th century writer that put Myka off balance without fail. It terrified Myka even still how certain she felt about the raven-haired woman and how in the blink of an eye, the passing of a smile and the touch of Helena's hand on Myka's face, all doubt was erased. Nonetheless, Helena was right. It was their first night together and there would be plenty of time for any and everything in the future. There wasn't any need to rush things now, just because Myka was feeling a little...emotional.

"Never mind," Myka finally said, shaking her head. "Let's get back to sleep," she added as she eased back into the pillows beside Helena. Myka was relieved when H.G accepted the recall, but did steal another kiss before Myka turned around to face the wall. Helena scooted close (if there was any more distance between them to close) and wrapped her arms around Myka's waist. She held her firmly and pulled the sheets a bit closer about them.

H.G let Myka settle before pulling a curly lock away from Myka's ear. She eased in and kissed it gently before whispering,

"I love you too."

(End)


	7. Dear Diary,

Before The Fall - Chapter Seven  
Dear Diary,

(Start)

September 7, 2010

I do not think it will ever cease to be a surprise to me whenever I come to write the date. It is extra ordinary, in my mind, to have come so far in time. Having devoted so many weeks and months to the study of time travel only to conclude it a physical impossibility, here I stand, alive, some 110 years hence. The world about me can seem as though I were upon the surface of some alien world, with strange vehicles and stranger people. Oft times I must resist the urge to find a small and quiet corner to withdraw into and shudder for hours on end. Yet there are things that ground me, remind me of my humanity and fortunate life. The air is the same, clear in the country and foggy in the cities. The birds sing no softer for the commotion of the world beneath their wings. But alas, I shall not bore you with more musings of my life as a time traveler. I've more pressing matters to discuss in this entry.

We've met again. I've finally met again with Agent Myka Bering.

My very flesh raises goose-pimples at the remembrance of the ordeal with which we sojourned to retrieve the artifact. Quite a lot of excitement, but I dare not get ahead of myself. It was in the state of California, in a secondary school. By the time that I had arrived, two students had fallen victim to the terrible and deadly effects of an artifact. Burned alive, be it ever so horrifying. As I was hoping, agents of the Warehouse had been dispatched to investigate the curiosity. But to my unfailing delight, I was met with the female agent whom nearly had the better of me in London some weeks past. However, she now sported a much younger agent as her partner instead of the man - Pete, if I do recall - that I had encountered previously.

She had such a fiery look her emerald eyes that despite my resolution, found myself rather taken aback. Gorgeous as she was, she struck me as an individual with unfailing strength. Furthermore, she seemed rather trusting; this in evidence with how easily I slipped from her grasp. Her partner at the time did not render much assistance and help little in the way of intrigue. So once I was safe and free from the danger of pursuit, I devoted myself to the study of this Agent Myka Bering. Again and again my studious nature proved ever useful as I was brought face to face with Agent Bering before half the day had gone, on school grounds.

_(A line of ink breaks up the writing on the page.)_

I am so terribly sorry for the interruption. It would seem that the train I am riding shall be docking soon, and I must needs be ready for a speedy getaway. No matter the year or century, stow-aways are always frowned up. I shall make this brief, for there is one moment that I must describe to you, and regal you with the details of the rest of the adventure at some later time.

It truly was a mad day with a wrestling coach being murdered and having to save not only Myka's life by narrowly dodging a speeding car with my grappler, but then Claudia's life from the hyper accelerated effects of the artifact; Claudia being the young apprentice Agent Bering had brought along with her to track down the artifact. Which, as it were, turned out to be Godfred's spoon. Can you believe it? And we had searched so desperately for it in Warehouse 12, some 108 years ago. With all the clamour and flurry of the day, I was sorely disappointed with realization at its end, that Myka and I hardly had a moment's pause to converse. Somehow I had managed to make known my proposal to return to the Warehouse as an agent when we were swept into the madness of the hunt for the artifact once more.

But I shall find great solace in the occurrence between she and I on my way to the nearest train station. We came to cross paths on opposite sides of the street, she and I. Again, I was headed for the nearest train station and she was headed for the airport terminal. (I have yet to muster enough strength to fly on my own as of yet, though I fear that day is swiftly approaching.) Claudia had her nose a closely pressed to her computer screen as naturally possible without stumbling over, but Myka and I saw each other instantly. Where I was hesitant, she was not. Instantly I was gifted a grand and wondrous smile. I can attest with absolute certainty that I have not witnessed such a beautiful and ever more breathtaking smile since being released from my bronze prison, or even a few years before entering it. The sidewalk in its entirety grew brighter from such graceful mien.

She waved and I waved, and my countenance was helpless but to return character which had been received.

It is only polite to also inform you that it has been 4 days hence, and the smile has yet to leave my company.

Adieu,  
_Helena_

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello readers! I hope you are all doing well and enjoyed the latest installment of Before The Fall. I found myself in a little difficulty with this chapter because I really wanted to try my best to capture H.G's voice. Of course, its her diary she's writing, so it needs to be in her voice. I was most worried that it would not sound British enough of Victorian enough, seeing as I am neither of these. So I would really appreciate any feedback on this chapter. Things I got right, things I got wrong, where I could improve, all of that wonderful stuff. As always, you guys have been wonderful and appreciate everyone who takes the time out of their day to read these! It's the readers that keep me going!

-RoseSama35-


	8. Strange and Beautiful

Before The Fall - Chapter Eight  
Strange and Beautiful

**Author's Note: **I want to take a moment and say thank you for all of the feedback I got on the last chapter. I can't say enough how much I appreciate every bit of feedback, good and bad. My goal is to continue to improve and improve. I also want to note that of all 10 parts of Before The Fall, this is chapter Strange and Beautiful, is by far my second favorite chapter. I I really like the feel of it and I'm quite proud of it. And as before, any bit of feedback I get will be welcomed with open arms and a box full of cookies!

One last thing, for your reading pleasure. This chapter is best read with rain playing in the background (I recommend RainyMood music) and Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley. Enjoy! ;-)

(Start)

If Pete was being honest, he didn't care too much for the slow days. Sure, he was happy to get a little bit of a break like everyone else, especially when they find themselves on the road for a full week in one sitting. But that's what he preferred; from high school, to college, to the military and the marines, to the Secret Service. It was a habit he developed, staying busy so he'd be less likely to get in trouble ... less likely to drink. And even though (most of) the bad habits were gone, he still preferred to be moving and active, than sitting and doing nothing.

But sometimes there just weren't any artifacts threatening to ruin the world's day. And sometimes those days happened to be rainy days, so he couldn't egg Claudia or Myka into a game of touch football either. And sometimes those days were today and it drove him completely crazy. It wasn't even a light drizzle either. It was the kind of rain that wasn't crazy heavy, but steady enough to get you soaked in five minutes and keep you in doors.

After several hours of lying on his bed and sighing up at the ceiling, he was so bored he was almost willing to _create _an artifact disturbance. With a role, Pete snapped up from his bed to his feet and looked around. Yeah, it was time for a change of scenery, even if it was to just go across the hall. He opened the door, gave his poster of Macho Man Randy Savage a quick pat, and strode out the room and down the hall of the cozy Bed & Breakfast that he was coming to call home. When he came to the closed door at the end of the hall that was his partner's, Myka Bering, he gave it a few sharp knocks. When he didn't get an answer in 3 seconds he decided to come in anyway.

"Hey Mykes, what'cha doing?" he greeted cheerfully as he opened the door and sauntered in. He was prepared to be greeted with a surprised Myka and possibly a pillow flying his way, but he got none of that. Instead he was greeted with silence. "Hey Myka, it's me!" he called as he came all the way in the room and circled. Yup, her room was definitely empty. Pete huffed, a little disappointed that he didn't find his friend so quickly, turned on his heels, and headed for the door across the hall.

This one belonged to Claudia, a.k.a Techno Wizard. It was already half open so he pushed all the way through. "Claudia! Got a Scooby snack for ya!" he called as he entered. Alas, her room was empty too. "Geez, everyone must be downstairs," Pete finally concluded as he exited the room, closing the door behind him. That only left one option for him if he didn't want to remain bored out of his mind: go downstairs and find them so he could bug them. He started down the hall with a little bounce in his step, sure that they could put their heads together and figure out something to do on this ridiculously boring day. But Pete stopped short when he came to the door closest to the stairs, where the newest member of the Warehouse 13 team resided: the very real, very female, and very hot H.G. Wells.

Pete thought about knocking on her door and seeing what she was up too, but decided against it. There was something about the woman, something very unsettling about those dark mysterious eyes that just didn't sit well with Pete. He was sure it was probably nothing, just him being a little apprehensive about the new teammate. He shouldn't be so worried, especially since Myka had a thing for her and he really trusted Myka's judgment. And ... not that she had a _thing_ for H.G., just a thing. It was more of an "Oh my god, it's H.G. Wells! Can you please sign my book?" sort of thing. Not a "Wow, you're really hot lady! Let's dry hump for a few hours!" sort of thing. Pete stopped that train of thought before it got too far away from him and he wouldn't be able to look at his partner the same for a few days.

No, he decided to leave H.G. alone and headed downstairs to find his partner and friends. Unfortunately, he didn't have any better luck on the first floor of the Bed & Breakfast. The place was totally deserted. Where the heck could everyone have gone? And why wouldn't they have told him? He circled the first floor again, looking through the back office and the dining room. He went through the kitchen (and the fridge) and poked his head out the backdoor to see if maybe anyone was in the pool. But he had no luck. Coming back through the kitchen, he did spot something that he hadn't noticed before.

A folded piece of paper was lying partially under a bowl of fruit on the kitchen island. "And what do we have here?" Pete mused as he plucked the piece of paper off the island and unfolded it. He instantly recognized Myka's practiced and very neat handwriting.

_Pete,_

_I didn't want to wake you up since this is the first break we've had in long time. I went to the Warehouse to do some filing and dropped Leena and Claudia off in town to do some shopping. See you in a few hours!_

_-Myka_

"Great, so I really am on my own today," Pete declared as he sighed, already feeling deflated. Putting the paper back on the counter top, he sighed again as he headed for the living room. He practically fell down into the sofa, and sighed again. "Now what am I going to do?" He knew he could get in his car and head to the Warehouse, but he _really_ didn't want to do filing and inventory. But as he looked around the empty home, he realized that it was really his best option. Pete sighed one more time, just for good measure.

Pete trotted upstairs to put on his shoes and jacket. He grabbed his keys and an umbrella, and came back downstairs. But when Pete opened the front door, he was greeted with a really peculiar sight. Standing there, barefoot in the center of the yard, dressed in nothing but dark blue jeans and a white tank top, was H.G. Wells. Her back was to Pete and the B & B. She was looking up into the dark cloudy sky with one arm stretched out in front of her and the other pressed against her chest, letting the rain fall over her. Occasionally she would wipe the water out of her face or run her fingers through her soaked hair. Or she would slowly run her hands up and down her arms, just feeling how the rain splashed on her skin. Then she'd stretch her arms out again and let the rain fall in her up-turned hands.

Pete was stunned, really and truly stunned. At first he wasn't exactly sure of what he was seeing. What was she doing just standing in the rain? But he found himself frozen in the moment, unable to move in part for fear of disturbing the British woman, and in part because he was captivated by the sight of her. He was confused and uncertain, both of the situation and the woman. This was the woman who had built a time machine, after all. For all he knew, she could have been the one making it rain! But the more he watched her, the more he began to understand, and the more surprised he became. She was just standing outside, enjoying the feel of the rain; she was enjoying the _feeling _of feeling the rain. For anyone else it would have been incredibly strange. Considering that this woman had spent the past 100 or more years encased in bronze, it was kind of beautiful.

After standing on the porch and watching H.G. take an outdoor shower for about five or six minutes, Pete finally came to his senses and realized that if she stayed out there any longer she'd be sure to catch a cold. So he opened his umbrella and crossed the short distance to H.G. She didn't seem to notice his approach at all until the umbrella was covering her. She blinked and looked up in confusion at what was interrupting her commune with nature. Then she turned around to see Pete.

Her smile nearly knocked him off his feet.

She was glowing, practically radiant. And her smile was so big and bright that Pete found himself smiling back for no particular reason. Her smile was completely unexpected, and spilling over with genuine joy. Despite any reservations he had about the woman, he couldn't deny that she was beautiful. And if she gave Myka this kind of smile every time they saw each other, then it was no wonder his partner trusted her. But Pete, manly man that he was, really couldn't help noticing that she was soaked to the bone ... in a white tank top ... and not wearing a bra.

"Hello," she said a silken tone, he smile never fading. "Come to join me?"

"Uh..." Pete stuttered, trying to find his words, "No ... you uh ... got some water in your hair." He knew it was probably the dumbest thing he could have said. Well, when he really considered it, anything that came out of his mouth around H.G. was pretty stupid because the woman was a genius and did not like to let anyone forget it. But his brain was totally shut down in the sight of that brilliant, raven-haired beauty ... and her wetness.

"So I've noticed," H.G replied, actually laughing. Even her laugh was enthralling. She looked back up towards the sky, where the clouds hadn't let up on the rain in the slightest. "It has been so very long since I've felt the rain on my skin," H.G explained as her voice grew a little distant, reaching her hand out beyond the umbrella to feel the rain again. "It is ...quite a magical wonder of nature."

Pete was seeing a side of H.G. that he hardly knew existed. He was so used to the guarded and mysterious woman with the quick wit and snooty British-ness who gave him bad vides. He had never met _this _H.G, who was so completely open, honest and genuinely just happy to be alive. It was extremely refreshing. It gave him pause to really reconsider his position on the woman. Maybe she was being honest with her intentions of just wanting to return to work. Maybe he kept getting bad vides because she just had a checkered past. But really, who didn't? And Pete was in no position to judge someone because of their past. He changed. He changed a lot. There was no reason H.G. couldn't.

"Look," Pete began, finally gathering his thoughts together, "if you stand out here any longer you're gonna catch the flu." H.G. nodded her agreement without taking her eyes off the sky, sighing all the while as if not quite ready to give up her time in the rain. Pete didn't want to rush her. There was so much of life that she'd missed out on; he didn't want to totally rob her of this simple pleasure. They stood there for just another minute or two before H.G finally broke the still silence between them.

"I suppose you're right," she relented, turning back to face Pete. Her smile was still there, though considerably smaller. It was time to get back to the real world. "Truthfully, I was sent here to fetch you."

"Oh really now?" Pete asked.

"Yes, Myka was worried about you being cooped up inside all day and thought I'd be more successful than she at getting you out of bed," she explained.

"_Good ole Myka_," Pete thought. "Well I think we better dry you off first," Pete said out loud, unashamedly looking H.G. up and down. She was even sexier when she was wet!

"I agree. But I am certain I can dry off all by myself," Helena replied with a wry smirk. She gave him a pat on the cheek before leaving the cover of the umbrella and stalked off towards the door of the B & B.

"Are you sure?" Pete called after her. "I could ... help you get the hard to reach places." Without stopping Helena looked back at Pete over her shoulder, chuckled, and disappeared inside. Pete watched her butt wiggle away the entire time. After she was gone, Pete took in a deep breath to get ahold of himself.

"Come on Pete, get it together. You're a taken man. You're a taken man! You're with Kelly!" he repeated to himself as he made for the door too. He should probably call her so she could put his head on straight. Even still, Pete was glad to have shared such an intimate moment with H.G. He felt a little closer to her. As he stepped inside to wait for his fellow agent and closed to the door from the rain, he thought to himself that those bad vibes must have been another annoying false alarm. H.G. really wasn't that bad after all.

(End)


	9. Helena, Part One: Battesimo della Mente

Before The Fall - Chapter Nine  
Helena, Part One:  
Battesimo della Mente

**Author's Note: **We are here at the penultimate chapter of Before The Fall, and this chapter is by far my favorite! This is the very concept I had in mind when first starting the Before The Fall series, so it's kind of like my baby. I want to again thank everybody who has been really awesome read it, or taken the time to review the chapters so far. I appreciate every single bit of input, and the only reason I keep going is because of you! But I'm done talking! I hope that you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! ^_^

(Start)

With a slow grogginess, she came awake.

It takes an immeasurable amount of time to fully adjust to nothing. It was a perfectly complete and encompassing nothingness that no human imagination could ever conceive. Even in a child's worse nightmare where the body is made immobile and they are plunged into blackness, they are still aware of themselves. They can feel their limbs, their arms and legs, although numb and useless. They can feel their eyes shift from left to right though they are granted no images. They can feel their breathing accelerate as fear more firmly grips them. Helena, cursed woman as she was, was granted none of these privileges.

She had no fingers and toes to wiggle, no eyes to look about, not even breath to draw in. There wasn't an aching numbness that she could rely on, telling her that her body was there but lame. She just was – existing somehow, in nothing. There wasn't even blackness about her to which she could characterize the nothingness. To have been able to perceive a blackness around her would have meant she could see – that she could use her eyes. This was not the case for H.G Wells. It was the purest absence of all things but her consciousness.

Helena spent ages reeling in the madness of her unimaginable prison, panic-stricken over her lack of being. She was without all of her senses, the things that the mind's eyes used to remind oneself that they are living. Yet she continued. She thought, she remembered, she worried, she feared. But she couldn't scream, despite how miserable and terrifying her madness was. She couldn't cry, despite how heavy the memories of her lost life weighed down on her. And she couldn't smile when she finally found some manner of peace in her mind. Helena wasn't exactly sure how it started, but sometimes in the raving silence of her madness, her consciousness would give out and she would no longer be.

Some time later she would return, recall her situation, and be lost in the horror and shock again. Her hysteria would overwhelm her and Helena would fade out again. It was exactly what she needed to steadily ease the blow of what her reality now was. In time the insanity ebbed away, and Helena remarkably found herself adjusting. It was a slow process, if only because she had to completely change her understanding of life, and accept that she was no longer a part of it. Obviously she was separate from the rest of the moving world because she was bronzed. Helena had to learn that she was even further from humanity and life than that; that she was not but thought.

It was long before Helena found herself distant from her ragged and frightful madness, and would be longer still before she found herself in peace. She knew that if she could master the ability of fading out - putting herself to sleep as she considered it - then she would be able to manage. Patient and determined, and feeling somewhat with purpose, Helena dedicated every aware thought to learning to sleep at will. As she practiced, meditated, remembered, reflected, she had a grim if not distant awareness of time elapsing.

Of course, Time was all that Helena had anymore, more Time than any human could ever dream or dread to have. And she had stopped counting it so very very long ago. It meant nothing to her anymore. Infinity was her second, her minute, her hour, day, and year. Sometimes she would even joke with herself. "_Helena, what time is it?"_ she would ponder to herself.

_Why it's halfway to infinity._

_Are you certain? I checked 20 minutes ago and that was the time then._

_Ah, well that's because it was! It still is! It will always be!_

If she could laugh, she'd have gotten a good chuckle out of that every time. Helena was sure she was incurably mad, but at least it was a tolerable madness - a humorous, livable condition.

Time passed and began to fade from her awareness. She mastered the art of putting herself to sleep, though she could never control for how long she slept. But considering that she didn't care about time, nor had the slightest notice of it anymore, it really didn't matter. Sometimes she would think about the world, and what state it was in when she left it or what it may be like now. Perhaps people were walking around with two heads on their shoulders and 6 fingers to a hand. Maybe war had broken out across the entire globe and every powerful nation destroyed the other. Perhaps everything just stopped, and there wasn't anything left of the world but a shadow of humanity.

Anything could happen, honestly. But as time went on, she thought about it less and less. It wasn't her world anymore, and she had no hope of ever returning. Sometimes the immensity of that realization would come pressing down on her like an avalanche, and she couldn't handle the grief and loneliness, so she would sleep. Other times, as her thoughts floated about, she would feel the familiar creeping sensation of fear, of not having a body with which to live in. She could feel herself losing control of her mind, and would put herself to sleep again.

Life was simple. She was. She thought. She slept. But one day, one moment among her infinite moments, her world came crashing down around her. She heard a sound.

She was mad; she already knew that. But now she was hearing things! That was so completely impossible that Helena was sure it was just her imagination. Then again, her imagination had attempted to conjure up an entire orchestra worth of sound before, and it never sounded like this. She literally _heard_ a sound. It was a high-pitched whine, the sort of tone you hear just before your ears pop. Helena had to slow her thoughts, stop the onslaught of fear and think calmly so she could be certain of what she was hearing.

She was sure that she was hearing the high-pitched tone, but it was useless trying to calm herself. She could already feel her heart-rate quickening. Again she paused. Her heart? By the Gods, she could feel her heart beating in her chest! It was there, like a drum within her rib cage, pounding away in a slow but steadily quickening beat. Helena's mind was reeling around in circles, unable to comprehend what was happening. If only it had stopped at that, then she may have been able to wrap her mind around these sudden occurrences in due time. But there was much more to come.

With a startlingly quick speed, Helena became aware of more and more of her body, the thing she had completely abandoned in thought and soul so very long ago. What on Earth was going on? What was happening to her? She had gone so long in her state of nothingness, that she had forgotten that there once was anything more to Helena G. Wells than her mind. She had discarded even the desire for her body and here it was, coming back to her in a slow revival. The last measure was when she suddenly drew in a deep and sharp breath. She could feel her mouth moving, her jaw creaking open, and her lungs taking in such a massive gulp of air that they could hardly hold it in for more than a second or two.

Her fingers twitched. Her muscles moved slightly. There was such a confusing jumble of sounds all around her. The hiss of steam, the hum of machinery, a voice somewhere near speaking, but she couldn't make out what was being said. She opened her eyes and was assaulted. Colors, shapes, and lights that had once been so alien, so impossible now came at her from every direction in such intensity that she cried out from the shock. Her arms rose up to cover her eyes and felt as heavy as lead weights. She tried to move her legs, but they crumpled beneath her and she fell with startling speed to the ground. A pair of arms was quick to take hold of her, and she heard them speak, though she still didn't know what they were saying. It was a woman's voice perhaps, but there was such a jumble of sounds in her ears and a volley of thoughts and confusion racing through her mind that she could hardly process anything.

But she felt. She felt the cold ground beneath her feet, the sudden chill against her body, and the arms that embraced her and quickly through a wool cloak around her. She wasn't imagining things. She wasn't finally losing the last shreds of her sanity. She was there! H.G Wells was alive!

(_To Be Continued)_


	10. Helena, Part Two: Crollo e Redenzione

Before The Fall - Chapter Ten:  
Helena, Part Two;  
Crollo e Redenzione

**Author's Note: **At long last, we're finally here at the end. I've got a sense of accomplishment at having finished this collection, and a bit of sadness for having to see it go. I've had so much fun coming up with the ideas, writing it all down, and seeing how you guys liked it and getting your feedback. It's been an awesome 10 weeks! I also feel like this chapter is a great way to end it. I like it a lot, as a second part for the previous chapter and an ending to Before The Fall. I won't get too much into it, but those curious, the titles for this and chapter 9 are Italian. No, I don't speak Italian, but the titles just worked so well in a different language. So there you go!

Again, I really appreciate everyone who has stuck around and reviewed. You guys are my candle in the dark! Okay, okay! I'm done talking! Enjoy the chapter everyone! ^_^

(Start)

Weeks went by, long months and months. Tears were shed from eyes she'd forgotten could cry. Sweat seeped from skin she'd forgotten could feel. Love poured from a heart that she had forgotten even existed. Life had come rushing at H.G. Wells in ways long forgotten, and more than once she felt as though she could not cope. She had been brought back into a world that she'd discarded along with her body and many times stumbled in trying to find her way. Once even causing many good people a great deal of undeserved pain.

But despite her terrible mistakes - which she still found difficult to forgive herself of - she had come away from her trials scratched and bruised, but alive. She'd discovered the 21st century and quickly fell in love with denim jeans, met mad men more than once, rejoined the Warehouse, made irreplaceable friends and betrayed their trust, only to strive in every way of every minute to make things right again. Every day outside of the Bronze Sector of Warehouse 13 was filled with so many new things to experience, and such wonderful people to experience them with.

It had been four days since Walter Sykes had reunited Helena and her body with the use of the Janus coin. Each morning she would stretch and yawn, lavishing in being able to yawn, and counted each of her toes and each of her fingers. Then, because she could hardly help her playful nature, she would roll over in bed and count Myka's fingers and toes. If that didn't suffice to rouse her fellow agent, she would poke each of her elbows and each of her knees. Properly annoyed, but still not awake, Myka would wiggle away from H.G with a grumble and H.G would set to counting Myka's eyelashes.

Given recent events, no one had found the time to see to Agent Steve Jinks' room and his personal things. Out of respect for the fallen agent whom she barely knew, Helena did not even deem to ask for the room for herself. (Just as well that she didn't; it seemed that the fallen had a habit of rising again – with the aid of dear friends – and Agent Jinks had returned from the after-life as Helena had returned from exile.) Her first night back in Leena's Bed & Breakfast, Helena was completely prepared to bunker down on the sofa. But when Myka saw Helena laying down a blanket she would have none of it. She took up the blankets and marched Helena up to her own room, for which they had been sharing ever since.

"I'm awake," Myka groaned. "Okay ... I'm awake." Despite the declaration she still yawned and barely opened her eyes.

"Oh, go back to sleep sweetheart. It's much easier to count your lashes with your eyes closed," Helena answered with a devious grin.

"Mmhmm," Myka mumbled as she rolled over, showing Helena her backside. "We did just save the world, and that tends to take it out of you."

"We saved the world four days ago, Myka. I think there's been more than enough time for rest," Helena replied with a light giggle.

"Mmhmm," was Myka's response. Still laughing lightly, Helena climbed out of bed anyway and headed for the shower. She couldn't blame Myka for wanting more sleep. It was only 6:30 in the morning. But having spent more than 110 years locked in the solitude of her own mind in The Bronze Sector, and then several more months in a strange limbo on the Janus coin, Helena wanted to have as much of the day as she possibly could.

After a hot shower, one of the many conveniences of the 21st century that she eagerly enjoyed, she got dressed in the outfit she had laid out the night before and went downstairs to help Leena prepare breakfast. Leena was always wonderful company and by the time the pancakes and bacon were done the entire Bed & Breakfast was working their way downstairs, noses in the air.

"O.m.g, something smells amazing," Claudia said as she came trudging into the dining room - still in her pajamas with Game Boy in hand - and let herself fall into one of the chairs around the table. "Please tell me that's bacon I smell."

"Yes, it is," Helena answered as she and Leena began setting serving dishes on the table. Leena headed back to the kitchen to get the pitcher of apple juice. Helena was about to follow to help when she saw Myka come into the room.

"Mmm, I smell pancakes!" Myka said with a broad smile. Soaking in Myka's image, Helena could feel the smile growing on her face and spreading from ear to ear. Without overstating their relationship, Myka Bering really was her saving grace. When Helena really needed it, she was always there. More importantly, almost impossibly, she was always forgiving. Myka was more than Helena could have hoped for in 2 lifetimes, more than she deserved, and yet she was still there. If nothing or no-one else, Myka was the most precious person in Helena's life. She couldn't imagine her new life in this brand new world without her.

Helena suddenly realized that not only was she staring at Myka with an uncontrollable grin, but Myka had noticed H.G staring at her and became noticeably nervous about the sudden attention.

"What?" Myka asked hesitantly, stopping in her tracks as she looked down at herself, making sure there wasn't a huge stain on her clothes that she might have missed. "What did I do?"

"Nothing," Helena said as she stalked towards Myka, her smile growing bigger if that were possible. "Nothing at all." Myka didn't look too convinced. "Oh all right, everything," Helena finally conceded as she closed the distance between her and Myka and pulled the taller woman into a tight hug. Helena took a moment to simply enjoy being able to hug, to enjoy taking the feel and scent of her dearest friend.

"Oh hey, we're giving out hugs? Don't I get one?" came the voice of Pete Lattimer as he entered the dining room, never wanting to be left out. H.G rolled her eyes, but was grinning all the same.

"Oh all right, come here you big baby!" she teased she gave Pete a hug as well.

"Hey come on guys! A girl could use some old fashion 19th century lovin' over here!" Claudia chimed from the dining room table before taken a huge bite off a strip of bacon.

"Okay, you too," Helena said as she turned to Claudia and opened her arms. "Come here!"

"Group hug!" Pete suddenly shouted. The whole group piled in for a big squeeze, laughing the whole time. Helena found herself surrounded by not only good friends, but close family, the kind that most people never found in a lifetime. Fortunately for Helena she happened to be the luckiest person in the world and was granted a second life, a second chance. And never before had it felt so good to be alive!

(The End)


End file.
